Mark Pope says Amari Williams is 'one-of-one,' stepped up against #8 Tennessee
![Jan 28, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Amari Williams (22) brings the ball up court against Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara (34) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images Jan 28, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Amari Williams (22) brings the ball up court against Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara (34) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3416,h_1921,x_0,y_18/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/wildcats_today/01jjr54cvq80j46v3pwz.jpg)
Kentucky basketball bounced back in a massive way, beating #8 Tennessee on the road in Knoxville on Tuesday 78-73. The Wildcats were without Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa, as well as having Andrew Carr banged up and being limited in the game, and they still came up with a top 10 win on the road, adding to an impressive stack of resume wins.
One of the standouts from the game was not just Jaxson Robinson, Koby Brea, and Ansley Almonor firing away from three-point range, it was also big man Amari Williams, who came up big in multiple areas, including as a playmaker, which added a wrinkle to Kentucky's offense against the #1 defense in the country. It obviously worked, because Kentucky's 78 points was the most Tennessee has given up all season. Williams had a big game on his birthday, and stepped up when they needed him, adding a season-high tying 15 rebounds and 10 points to make it his fifth double-double of the season. Pope called him 'one-of-one,' stepping up to an 'impossible' task as of late, and doing it well.
"Amari Williams is like a one-of-one. I'm asking him to do an impossible job right now. Top 10 team, the number one defense in the country, no point guard to be found on our roster, and I'm like, 'Amari, it's up to you, and (Brandon Garrison), you gotta be his wingman. You gotta control the whole game. Amari brought the ball up against the press more than anybody on else on our team. I'm telling you, this kid is special. It's his birthday today. You look at his numbers tonight, ...there's not another center in the country that's had to carry a load the way he had to carry it tonight. It was incredible."
- Pope on Williams stepping up big.
Kentucky answered the bounce-back challenge facing the nation's best defense in a major statement way. Missing essentially two of their key players, it didn't phase them, as Kentucky answered every time Tennessee answered them. Williams was huge with Kentucky's offensive flow, and he answered the bell in every category on Tuesday.